Opinon on potential diamond with feather on side?

[chillybear]

Hi everyone

Im like 90% sure that this is the diamond I want to bring in to take a look at (buying sight unseen), but wanted a few more opinons to make sure that I am not jumping the gun on something that is no good.

Looking at the GIA report it looks like there is a feather (I think) on the pavillion.

Would this be of any concern?

How does it look? Any cloudiness or anything?

Thanks in advance!

 

[treasurehunter]

You need to ask if the florescence causes milkiness,
the feather well its off to the side so once you put a prong over the inclusion it will cover it up

 

[proto]

ask for another photo.

you cant see anything in that picture

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Chilly,

Fluorescence, you need to ask the vendor if there are any negative effects, chances are not but always best to be on the safe side.

Feather, also ask the vendor if it is a potential durability issue, unlikely in SI1 but we can't know if the feather reaches the surface and or encroaches on the girdle, the vendor or appraiser should be able to advise there.

The numbers look good, can't tell much from the photo except from what I can see it has a good level of optical symmetry, but no way to tell, an Idealscope image would be better.

 

[30yearsofdiamonds]

Just a reminder about feathers, they always reach the surface. When a feather is plotted on a GIA plot the part that is plotted is where it is in contact with the diamond surface. In this case the feather cuts through the girdle and reaches both the top and bottom of the diamond, which does make it somewhat dangerous.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just a reminder about feathers, they always reach the surface. When a feather is plotted on a GIA plot the part that is plotted is where it is in contact with the diamond surface. In this case the feather cuts through the girdle and reaches both the top and bottom of the diamond, which does make it somewhat dangerous.

Wow, Dan! I have to say that this is the first time I have heard this. I thought internal cracks were plotted as well and we didn't know what portion reached a surface. I am always wary of SI stones that have feathers as the primary inclusion anyway and I do not personally buy stones with feathers (cracks). But this is a total game changer.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

One more caution, I don't think clouds and SBF are a good combination. I'd probably search for another stone. SBF from what we have heard here is less likely to be a problem when the stone has higher clarity. I have personally had one but the stone was VS1.

 

[Lorelei]

Just a reminder about feathers, they always reach the surface. When a feather is plotted on a GIA plot the part that is plotted is where it is in contact with the diamond surface. In this case the feather cuts through the girdle and reaches both the top and bottom of the diamond, which does make it somewhat dangerous.

Wow, Dan! I have to say that this is the first time I have heard this. I thought internal cracks were plotted as well and we didn't know what portion reached a surface. I am always wary of SI stones that have feathers as the primary inclusion anyway and I do not personally buy stones with feathers (cracks). But this is a total game changer.

Hi Dan! I must admit with DS this is the first time I have heard this too, I did a type of ' Feather 101' thread years ago, maybe it's time for another! The advice we have always given is to check in each case whether SI feathers particularly do reach the surface and are a potential durability issue, this is something we need to clarify and as DS says, a potential game changer.

This is one of the articles written to try to alleviate consumer concerns about feathers but I wonder if we have been giving the right advice perhaps, can you expound a bit please Dan and any of the other experts so we know what's appropriate advice to give? Not necessarily on this diamond as noted above, the feather is in a location that could require expert evaluation anyway but on feathers in general.

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/diamond_feather_inclusions_durability_risk

 

[geoffreysnow]

Interesting!

GIA clarity graders use the feather symbol to plot feathers that are close to the surface (extend from the surface into the stone) without breaking the surface. Feathers that break the surface by creating an opening are plotted as "cavities." If a feather is included and does not reach the surface, it is plotted as an “included crystal.” While the plotted crystal inclusion may actually be a fissure within the stone, if it does not reach the surface, the grader will not plot it as a feather.

https://www.pricescope.com/journal/diamond_feather_inclusions_durability_risk

 

[30yearsofdiamonds]

Not sure where the last post, quote came from, but as a former GIA grader for many years it is pretty accurate. Years ago a crystal with a feather going through it was plotted as a circle with a line through it and was called a crystal with feather in the key to symbols. Today they just plot the who;e inclusion as a crystal. Twinning wisps can also have several types of inclusions making up the twinning wisp but as seen on diagrams is plotted to represent the flow of the wisp with spaced hash marks across it. Feathers that "open" at the surface, like a paper cut on a finger are plotted as cavities, in most cases. Extremely straight feathers are plotted as cleavage plains, which on a plot are two parallel lines. This photo shows a feather on the bottom corner of an emerald cut. The place that it touches the surface is the far left up and down to the girdle edge. Everything to the right of that edge is in the stone . The diagram will show one line up from the girdle in red ink. Above it is another smaller feather that also reaches the surface.

 

[pyramid]

I remember the late Rockdoc telling me once when I was asking about feathers, that a lot of times a crystal has a
feather around it in the shape of an aurora so just picking stones without feathers but with crystals made no difference.

I also remember someone saying that there could be a lot of tension around crystals which made them no safer than feathers as feathers are sometimes partially healed a bit like figure print inclusions found in sapphires.

It is good to hear things on this board from a former GIA grader as well as from gemmologists and vendors too.